As planning got under way for an annual event that honors and gives thanks for people who serve the community, organizer Veronica Bailey noticed a coincidence.
The fourth annual Sharion Bailey Whitlock Soul Food Community Dinner: Good Food for the Body and Soul is set for noon on Nov. 11, which is also Veterans Day.
Upon realizing the dinner would fall on the same day that the nation honors its military veterans, Bailey said she knew just who this year’s honorees would be.
The 2017 dinner will recognize the service and sacrifice of military veterans and first responders.
Recipients of the 2017 Community Service Award are Olice and Delois Green, both of whom are lifetime members of American Legion Post 10 and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2413.
To accommodate what is expected to be a larger crowd this year, the dinner will be moved to the Fellowship Hall of First Baptist Church – Cordell, 620 Cordell, Bailey said.
The event is sponsored by The Bailey Family — Whitlock of Bailey’s late sister — and Meet Me at the Court.
“This is our way of saying that we appreciate everything our first responders do and have done and veterans for risking their lives to save lives,” Bailey said.
This year is the first time the event will incorporate elements of two holidays.
The purpose of the dinner, which is held each November, is to highlight the meaning of Thanksgiving.
Bailey said the Greens were chosen for this year’s Community Service Award for the work they do for local veterans.
Olice Green served in the U.S. Army from 1966 to 1969 and fought in the Vietnam War. He spent three years in the Army Reserves before being honorably discharged in 1972.
Olice Green served has served as vice commander and on various boards for the American Legion and VFW.
He and wife Delois have been members of the American Legion for 14 years and the VFW for 13 years.
“They make flower bouquets and Christmas bags and deliver them to veterans in the community, and we want to show them just how much we thank and appreciate them,” Bailey said.
The menu will include traditional Thanksgiving fare and soul food staples. The dinner is free and the public is invited to attend.
For more information, call Bailey at 870-310-0391.
Tia Lyons may be contacted at 870-862-6611 or [email protected].